Saltmarsh Restoration
What are the constraints to the reassembly of saltmarsh plant communities on formerly reclaimed land after managed realignment?
Restoration of species and ecosystems is a central part of biodiversity conservation. Currently this is done mostly by establishing communities of plant species to resemble the target communities of conservation interest. However, the ultimate aim is to create complex ecosystems that resemble the targets in terms of: composition of plant, animal and microbial communities; ecosystem function (nutrient cycling, productivity, etc); and stability. To achieve this we use field observation and manipulative experiments at large-scale, long-term saltmarsh restoration sites and natural marshes to determine the key processes and factors constraining restoration success.
Our work comprises a combination of: long-term monitoring; measurement of sediment dynamics; the dispersal and colonisation mechanisms of benthic invertebrates, saltmarsh invertebrates and plants; bird usage; and the assessment of restoration success.
Results to date have shown that, with fairly minimal intervention, plants and animals rapidly colonise newly accreted sediments, although re-created sites differ in species composition and structure from natural marshes and can take several decades to converge, if at all.
References
Garbutt, R.A., Reading, C.J., Wolters, M., Gray, A.J. & Rothery, P. 2006. Monitoring the development of intertidal habitats on former agricultural land after the managed realignment of coastal defences at Tollesbury, Essex, UK. Marine Pollution Bulletin 53: 155-164.
Garbutt , A and Wolters, M. (In press). The natural regeneration of salt marsh on formerly reclaimed land. Applied Vegetation Science.
Wolters, M., Garbutt, A. & Bakker, J.P. 2005. Plant colonization after managed realignment: the relative importance of diaspore dispersal. Journal of Applied Ecology 42: 770-777.
Wolters, M., Garbutt, A. & Bakker, J.P. 2005. Salt-marsh restoration: evaluating the success of de- embankments in north-west Europe. Biological Conservation 123: 249-268.
